Atlas/Varangia
These lands comprise the areas in which Scandinavian vikings have been most active in: a tribe of Vikings known as Varangians have not just set up trading posts, but have even created a principality known as Rus centred around Kiev. The Vikings however aren't the only people in these lands: the Lapps live in the plains of Karelia while Kipchak tribes haunt the steppes. Despite the uneven distribution in fertility, Varangia has in the past century or so been made prosperous through trade with the Romans, who live down at Miklagard down by the Black Sea and the infidel Arabs. However, this prosperity has also attracted new enemies such as the unclean Kipchak horsemen who see it fit to raid their neighbours for food and profit. Resource count file:rare.png link=Atlas/Varangia#Astrakhan|Wool link=Atlas/Varangia#bjarmaland|Fish link=Atlas/Varangia#Cumania|Bison Whales|link=Atlas/Varangia#Kara Beaver Pelts|link=Atlas/Varangia#Karelia Cereals|link=Atlas/Varangia#Kiev Granite|link=Atlas/Varangia#Komi link=Atlas/Varangia#Uppsala|Iron ore link=Atlas/Varangia#Belarus|Iron ore Furs|link=Atlas/Varangia#Muscovy link=Atlas/Varangia#Norway|Salmon Kara This sparsely populated land is known for being some of the best whaling grounds in the world. Available resources *file:rare.png: Whales *file:Tribute.png: 5 Bjarmaland Dominated by hill and plain, Bjarmaland doesn't have soil suited to agriculture, but its waters teem with fish and the land is ablaze with trails made by traders and pioneers alike. Available resources: *file:Rare.png: Fish *file:tribute.png: 10 Ladoga Dominated by the great trading city and "republic" of Novgorod or "New-Town", the Ladoga is the centre of the northern realm of the Varangians, descendents of traders and adventurers from the Viking lands. Karelia Like many lands of Varangia, Karelia is a land of forests and streams almost devoid of human presence. For this reason, beavers live well in this environment whereas elsewhere they have been hunted to extinction for their hides and musk. Available resources *file:rare.png: Beaver Pelts *file:tribute.png: 5 Lappmarch Traditionally the home of the northern people known as the Sami, this land while not conducive to farming is nonetheless host to good hunting and fishing — as well as forests of great stature. Available resources *file:bonus.png: Boom — Timber *file:tribute.png: 5 Norway Despite the harsh winter climate and the forbidding landscape, Norway is a land blessed with a fair deal of natural wealth. Only the strong survive here, and for many centuries the Norwegians have been either expert hunters, fishermen, traders, and vikings — or possibly all four at once at any given time. Available resources *file:rare.png: Salmon *file:tribute.png: 5 *file:bonus.png: Boom — Metal *file:supply Centre.png available Komi This land is known for its reindeer herds which can be used to even pull sleds in winter. Available resources *file:rare.png: Granite *file:bonus.png: Logistical support Sar'-Su Connected to Astrakhan by the mighty Volga river, the land of Sar'-Su has been colonised by nomadic tribes who pasture their horses and herds by the fertile banks of the Volga. Muscovy This heavily forested area is named after the River Moscow, another tributary of the mighty Volga to the east, forming one of the many links in the trade routes running from north to south in Eastern Europe, and within these forests there too reside bears whose hides provide a good source of fur. Available resources *file:rare.png: Furs *file:tribute.png: 10 Belarus This heavily wooded land is populated by the so-called "White Russians" or Ruthenians. The swamps around riparian areas have also been found to contain enough iron ore to meet the needs of its inhabitants. Available resources *file:rare.png: Iron *file:bonus.png: Boom — Timber Uppsala This territory is denoted by the existence of three burial mounds at its namesake city, at which the kings of this region would be crowned. Aside from that, the rivers and foothills of Sweden have also proven to be excellent sources for iron ore, the lifeblood of armies everywhere. Available resources *file:rare.png: Iron *file:tribute.png: 5 *file:bonus.png: Eureka — Civics Kiev The greatest city of all the Russias, Kiev has been losing its commercial and political significance for years, but it is still a vital hub of power in the steppelands. Gotaland The southernmost part of Sweden, Gotaland's location on the seas allows anyone who controls it a stranglehold on trade in the Baltic. Its ports also allow access to the most distant shores of the Baltic, thus making it a vital maritime crossroads. Available resources *file:tribute.png: 5 *file:bonus.png: Trade embargo Cumania This desolate steppe is the land of the Kipchak or Cumans, a tribe of nomads who have created a continent-wide confederacy stretching for many miles from sunrise to sunset. Astrakhan The territory between the banks of the Volga and the shores of the Caspian have attracted many settlers — some more permanent than others — who prosper from herding and trading with both Varangians and Muslims alike. Astrakhan also grants access to Southern Asia by its maritime route eastwards to Khwarezmia. Crimea These lowlands by the northern shores of the Black Sea host many great ports which feed the commerce of Europe and are situated on some of the world's most fertile areas for cropland. Category:Atlas Category:CtW